


Love The Real Me

by AnnitaArtiste39



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-20
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-06-09 14:15:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 16,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6910576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnitaArtiste39/pseuds/AnnitaArtiste39
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So... she has a crush on him... but not the REAL him, no... she had a crush on his alter-ego, Adrien Agreste...<br/>but this shouldn't matter to our Cat-like hero... he loves Ladybug, so... why is Chat Noir suddenly finding himself jealous of... HIMSELF?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chat Noir was sitting on the railing of Paris’ local bakery’s attic, talking to sweet Marinette, leaning on said railing, about the results of yet another acuma attack diverted. They stayed there just chatting and laughing together, then Chat’s smile flattened as something occurred to him “hey Princess, your really great to talk to, fun to laugh with, a great listener… why aren’t you always like that?”  
Marinette turned away from the night Paris scene to face the cat-like hero “what do you mean? I don’t treat you any differently than I do anyone else”  
“Really?” He seemed really surprised  
“Y-yeah, I mean, well, except Cloe, but that’s just because she hates me… it’s funny… believe it or not, there was actually a time when we were friends” Marinette giggled at the thought “but that only lasted for about… a month I think… then her mom left, and she… she changed… she started pushing people away in her life, I think that’s why her dad spoils her… she was only four years old, but she was showing all the signs of depression… you know, she puts on a brave face, but deep down, I know she’s still hurting… I’m glad she has Sabrina, even if she IS just using her most of the time… *sigh*”  
“Wow… you know a lot about her…”  
“I know a lot about nearly all of my classmates… Kym’s dad works as a coach for the big league futball team, Rose lives with her Grandma and 27 cats, Max’s mom is over in America working for NASA, Nathaniel’s Aunt is an archaeologist, Jeuleka’s parents own a toy store down the street from the school… ”  
“Wow… I had no idea” they stayed in silence for the next few minutes, thinking to themselves. “So… what are you thinking about?”  
“There’s one person in my class that, I actually don’t know that well, but…”  
“But?”  
“But… I just get so nervous around him, I either can’t talk, or I make a fool of myself by rambling out of proportion and tripping over everything possible… thin air included”  
Chat laughed “what, do you have a crush on him or something?” He asked with a smirk  
“Oh, you’re just figuring this out?“she replied with a smirk of her own  
Chat’s smirk fell "woah, seriously?” Marinette nodded as she faced towards the lit up City “what… I mean… who is it?”  
Marinette turned her head to face him “what? And what makes you think I’m gonna tell you?” She asked back, smirking while folding her arms across her chest as she turned to face him completely. Chat placed his hand over heart in light-hearted fun  
“Ouch, and here I thought we were friends, at least tell me what you like about him”  
Marinette sighed, leaning back on the railing looking to the starlit night sky as she began to daydream about the boy of her dreams “He has hair as bright as the sun, his eyes as green summer fields, he can make me laugh without trying…”  
“Blond hair, green eyes, funny… my Princess, I didn’t know you thought so fondly of me” he said with his Cheshire cat grin. Marinette began to laugh  
“Oh trust me… you’re nothing like Adrien Agreste”  
Chat’s eyes grew wide, his breath hitched, his jaw slightly dropped, and his heart rate was through the roof “Did you just say… Adrien… Agreste? As in… Adrien Agreste?”  
Marinette’s eyes grew as she realized what she just let slip “Uh… Uh… y-yeah… y-you know, the model…”  
“Oh… so… is that why you like him? Just because he’s a picture on a magazine?”  
“NO!” She shouted as she spun to face him again “I mean… no, that’s not the only reason I l-like him”  
“Then… ”  
“He’s sweet, he’s kind, his heart is as pure as gold, he’s a really good friend to everyone… he’s always willing to help a friend, he’s so talented, and…” she sighed as she turned back to the Paris scene before her. “Honestly, his looks are just a… and… i could care less if he’s a model, or the son of a plumer… that’s not why i love him… i… i love him for who he is”  
Chat sat there, watching his classmate (though she didn’t know it), mouth agap, a blush starting to creep over his face… he was use to people liking him for his looks and the fact that he was famous (cloe, for one example), but never before had someone… had anyone liked him… for him. “P-Princess…” she turned to face him “uh… I thought…” he began as he rubbed the back of his neck “believe it or not… I actually thought.. well, that you hated him”  
“WHAT?! Why Would You Think That?”  
“Well, it’s just that… well, you act differently around him… I thought he, like, I don’t know, made you nervous”  
“He does” she stated with a soft tone “but… in a good way, I guess… it’s not that he’s intimidating, I guess… I’m just nervous that I’d embarrass myself in front of him… which I usually end up doing anyway” she ended as she placed her face in her hands.  
Chat was touched, he had no idea, he honestly thought she still held the whole gum incident over his head… he was quite relieved to learn that wasn’t true. He stared at her, her face (about as red as Ladybugs suite) still in her hands, when suddenly he felt his heart skip a beat. He cleared his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck “well, um… I should probably be heading home, so, uh… see ya”  
She looked up at him, her blush starting to disable “okay… yeah… see ya” he gave a quick bow, then jumped out into the night world.  
As leapt from rooftop to rooftop, he couldn’t help but think ‘she loves Adrien, she just said she loves Adrien Agreste, but, I’m Adrien Agreste, so, technology… she loves me’ he dead stopped on the roof he just jumped on, still as a statue as realization hit him ‘i… I don’t know what to say… or what to think… she likes me… she… she loves me’ he was starting to hyperventilate 'I gotta get home… now!’ With that, one of Paris’ famous superheroes fled for home as fast as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is just Chapter 1 of, so far, 9, but seeing as it's already 4:30am... I'm gonna head to bed.
> 
> PLEASE!!!! Let me know what you guys thought of it... I LOVE when I get actual reactions!!!  
> Thanks guys
> 
> ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So Marinette... What do you think of Chat Noir?

Class was just about to start when Adrien came in... he looked horrible, and truth be told, he felt horrible, he had spent the majority of the night going over Chat and Marinette's conversation from the night before. "Woah, dude, you okay?" Nino asked as he took his seat  
"Yeah... just didn't get much sleep last night..."  
"Well, if you fall asleep, try not to drool this time dude" Nino nudged Adrien's arm. Adrien looked shocked, but only for a moment before his usual self was back  
"What ever dude, I don't drool" he joked back.  
After class was over Adrien turned around to face the two girls behind him... one in particular "So Marinette..."  
"A-Adrien!"  
"I was wondering... what do you think of Chat Noir?"  
Marinette blinked "what?"  
Adrien rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly finding the right ceiling light very interesting "well, I mean... you and Alya are always talking about Ladybug, so it's obvious you're a fan of hers, but... I was just wondering what you thought of Chat, you don't really talk about him that much"  
She stood there, blinking, absorbing what he was asking and then "Oh... yeah... Chat... he's cool... not as cools as you of course.. ah.. um.. I mean.. he's nice and everything, I like him... not as much as I like you, I lo-lo-l-l look! Wow is that a new shirt? I like it" and for once in his life, Adrien actually understood what she was actually saying  
'She's rambling, and, did she just... oh no, try to change the subject huh? No way Princess, I'm not done' "So you like him huh? What do you like about him?"  
"Oh... well... he's nice, and a good listener when he wants to be... he's just a really good friend" her eyes went wide, then she looked around to find that she and him were the only two in the room, she looked back at him with almost a panic in her eyes "no one is supposed to know... you can't tell anyone that Chat and I are friends... if anyone else finds out... if Alya finds out... I'll never hear the end of it..."  
"So... are you ashamed of him?"  
"NO! No, but... if someone finds out,... do you know how many people have been after trying to find out their secret identities? If word somehow got out that chat has been having late night Rondevus with a civilian girl...oh my gosh, that came out wrong... ehh... they-they're n-not really Rondevus, he just, stops by my bedroom late at night... oh my gosh, th-that came out worst... what I mean is.." Adrien placed his hand on the poor panic girl's shoulder  
"Hey, calm down, I get what you mean... and don't worry... your secrets safe with me" he ended with a wink "so... he's got you all flustered... what... do you have a crush on him?"  
Marinette paused, then burst into a fit of laughter "M-Me?... have a crush?... on CHAT?!" She couldn't stop laughing "why would you think... I have a crush... on CHAT?!"  
"Well, why wouldn't you? I thought all girls liked a guy with sun like hair, field like eyes and a devilish smile" he stated with a smirk  
"But Chat? No, no... he's just a friend, that's all... besides... i... like someone else, and he... he likes Ladybug" she was finally calming down  
'Not like, love... I LOVE Ladybug... which is why this is so confusing... you said you love Adrien, so why can't you love Chat?... Woah,... what am I thinking?... why would I want her to LOVE Chat?... it's not like I have those kinds of feelings for her... I. Love. Ladybug. It's HER love I want... so why?.. she has a pretty laugh... wait, what?... ugh, this is so confusing... wait, she stopped talking... what do I do? I should really drop this subject...' "hey, we should probably be getting to our next class... don't want to be late again" and with that the two headed to their next class in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 2
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why doesn't Marinette talk like that about Chat with Adrien?

During school hours, Adrien would strike up conversation with Marinette between classes about the super duo, mainly sticking to her encounters with Chat Noir, he would ask her what she thought about him, what what she likes about him, and how she thought their friendship was going. To which she would respond “he’s one of my best friends”.  
After school hours, mainly after another patrols, Chat would come over to sit and talk with his sweet civilian classmate. He would tell her about the latest akuma attacks, and she would tell him about her life as a student, designer, and a bakers daughter. Then they would just sit there, lost in their own thoughts, then she would sigh and start bragging about her young model classmate. “He’s so smart, and beautiful, and kind… he’s so selfless, I just love his smile, and the way he lights up when he’s with his friends” This cycle continued day after day, and while at first Chat seemed pleased with all the compliments about his alterego, slowly he began to wish that the Princess sitting in front of him would look at HIM with those excited eyes, the bounce in her step, the love in her voice.   
‘Why doesn’t she talk like this to Adrien about Chat? When she talks about Adrien, she can’t stop talking him up, but when she talks about Chat, he’s just “one of my best friends”… why can’t she just feel like that with Chat… Woah, what? Where did that come from? I-i don’t want her to love Chat… do I? Wait… LOVE? No, no if I wanted her to love ME, then that would mean I… I… No… no, no, I love Ladybug… Ladybug,… the hero of Paris… the Yin to my Yang… the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen… no, I love Ladybug, i… I, don’t want Mari to fall in love with me, i… I just… I just want her to… to..’  
“Chat? Chat? You okay? Chat?” Chat snapped out of his train of thought?  
“What?”  
“Chat, are you okay? You spaced out, I’ve been calling your name for three minutes now, is everything okay? Do you want to talk about it?”  
‘She seems so concerned, but unfortunately, this is something I CAN’T talk to her about’ “sorry Princess” he started with his quirky grin, hoping she doesn't just see right through him “guess I was just lost in thought”  
“Wanna talk about it?”  
“No, no, it’s nothing bad” ‘at least I hope not’ “It’s nothing, you know… guy stuff” with that he decided it was time to take his leave, so he jumped to his feet, gave his princess a bow, and headed for home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 3
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A teasing Kawami and a poor confused boy... oh dear... let's see how well this goes down

Adrien laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out… just WHAT exactly is going on in his head. It’s already been 3 hours since he got home from his balcony visit with Marinette, and yet he still can’t get her excited (Adrien) face out of his thoughts… she was so alive when she spoke about him, and happy, energetic, eager “Why can’t she be like that towards Chat?”  
“Wha..? Who?” Asked the half asleep Kawami  
‘Oh crap, did I just ask that out loud?’ “Uh, no one, go back to sleep Plagg” Adrien tried to cover up as he rolled over onto his side. The Kawami flew over to face the boy  
“Were you talking about Marinette?” Plagg asked with his chat-like grin  
“Wh-What? No!”  
“YOU SO TOTALLY WERE! IT’S WRITTEN ALL OVER YOUR FACE!” Plagg laughed as he teased the poor boy who had gotten out of bed to stare out his window  
“I just… what does she see in Adrien?” This caught Plagg’s attention  
“Um, Adrien, I’m uh, pretty sure that she already covered what she sees in you… your looks, your friendliness, your... wait… why are you referring to yourself in third person?”  
“Because… she doesn’t know the real Adrien” he mumbled  
“Huh?”  
“She doesn’t know the real Adrien… she only knows the facade I put on to please my father and other authorities. If she actually knew the real Adrien, the one who was actually himself… she’d see more Chat then Adrien… and she’ll never love Chat like she does Adrien…”  
...  
Plagg burst out laughing  
“I… I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!”  
“What?”  
“YOU’RE… YOU’RE JEALOUS!”  
“Wh-What? What are you talking about?”  
“CHA-CHAT NOIR… IS JEALOUS… OF ADRI-ADRIEN AGRESTE!” Plagg tried to relate through his fit of laughter “YOU’RE FLIPPING JEALOUS… OF… YOURSELF!!” and with that, he rolled into another fit of tearful laughter  
“Wh-WHAT? No, N-no I’m not jealous of… myself… how does that even work?!”  
“Simple” Plagg began as he was finally coming off of his laughter high “Chat Noir wants his PRINCess to notice HIM like she does Adrien Agreste. And we all know how much she LOVES Adrien Agreste… oh man… this is too rich!” Plagg continues to laugh as Adrien turns beet red  
“N-no, i… I never said I wanted her to love me”  
“Then what do you want? She already sees you as her best friend…” Plagg asked, more serious this time  
“I… I don’t know… I guess… you know the look in her eyes when she talks about… *sigh*… why can’t she look that way at me? I mean, the actual me…”  
“Adrien, you know what that look in her eye is… it’s okay if you like her you know”  
“What?! I never said I loved her… I love Ladybug, why would you say I love her?”  
“… … I didn’t say love… you just did” Adrien’s eyes were as wide as saucers, his jaw was dropped and his face was turning as red as a ladybug  
“I-i-i did not”  
“Denial” Plagg sang teasingly  
“I DON’T!”  
“You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself…” Plagg added with his signature grin.  
Adrien huffed as he went back to bed “I don’t love Marinette” he mumbled over his shoulder as he laid in bed ‘I don’t’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 4
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An angry threat and confession

Day after day, Adrien would try to talk to Marinette about Chat Noir, and night after night Chat was stuck listening to said girl go on and on about Adrien Agreste, and honestly… he was starting to get tired of it “what do you like about him so much?” He asked, slightly annoyed “what could possibly be so great about him?”  
“I told you already…”  
“No, that’s not what I mean… has it ever occurred to you, that every time you see him, he’s actually wearing a mask?”  
“Says the boy in the cat get-up?”  
“I didn’t mean physically, I meant mentally… has it ever occurred to you that maybe, just maybe he’s so afraid of disappointing his father and other authoritative figures, that he plays the part they expect, even though, deep down inside he just wants to break free, forget modeling, and just be himself? What if he were more wreckless? What if he were more care-free? What if he was more rebellious?… would you still love him?”  
“Chat, he’s not like that...”  
“That’s not what I asked” they stayed there, quiet for the next few minutes  
“Chat… I realize you’re concerned, but… I don’t love him because he’s obedient, or a model, or anything like that… those are all just pluses… you see, I fell in love with his kindness, and honesty, and…”  
“Have I not been kind or honest with you my Princess?” Chat interrupted  
“What? No, of course you have, it’s just…”  
“Just what?”  
“I… I gave him my heart the first day I met him, not the first time, but the first day… see, we didn’t exactly have a good meet off the first time I saw him,… it was a HUGE misunderstanding, but, by the end of the day, he showed me just how kind he was by giving me his umbrella… from that moment on… I’ve been in love… I gave him my heart Chat… and I only have one to give away… don’t get me wrong, you’ll always have a place in my heart, just like Alya, Nino, and all of my other friends…”  
“So that’s all Chat is to you?… just a friend?… that’s it?”  
“Chat? What are you getting at?”  
“Why? Why can’t you just understand?” He started walking towards her, irritation clearly on his face “the boy you’ve fallen in love with… is a mask… that’s it. He’s a facade, a fake, a people pleaser… he’s not real Mari… the real Adrien… he’s wreckless, spunky, rebellious, fearless… you don’t really know the real Adrien, no, you’ve gone and fallen for the weak, puny, people-pleaser of a…”  
“HEY! I will NOT Let you TALK about him like that… he’s not like that…”  
“Oh? And how would you know? Do you KNOW how much he actually HATES HIMSELF?!”  
“CHAT STOP IT!” he slowly was backing her up against the wall  
“DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I HATE HIM?! WHAT IS IT GOING TO TAKE, MARINETTE?! DO I HAVE TO ELIMINATE AGRESTE?! HUH?! THEN WILL YOU NOTICE THE REAL ME?!”  
“NOO!!! IF YOU LAY ONE FINGER ON HIM, I’LL… I’LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU” she shouted, tears starting to come to her eyes. He had her against the wall now, his hands on either side of her head, boxing her in… to say she was scared was an understatement, he looked so furious, and hurt, ‘he’s so furious… would he actually do it? Would Paris’ own cat hero… kill… my crush?’ “I WON’T LET YOU HURT HIM CHAT! STOP THIS ALREADY! WHAT HAS GOTTEN INTO YOU?! WHY DO YOU SUDDENLY HATE HIM SO MUCH?!”  
“BECAUSE ADRIEN AGRESTE IS A LIE! HE’S LYING TO EVERYONE, HE’S LYING TO HIMSELF, HE’S LYING TO YOU, AND I HATE IT! I HATE HIM MARINETTE!”  
“CHAT, STOP THIS! HE’S NOT A LIAR! HE’S ONE OF THE MOST HONEST PEOPLE I KNOW, SO I WON’T LET YOU JUST KEEP BAD TALKING…”  
“FOR PETE SAKE MARINETTE, WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LOVE ME LIKE I LOVE YOU!”  
Suddenly, where once it sounded like WWIII was about to break out, now it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. They stayed there, both wide eyed as he had her pinned against the wall, realization hitting both if them  
‘Wh-what did he… say?’  
'Wh-what did i-i just… say? I… I just told her… I love her… I guess… *sigh* I guess there’s no denying it now… man I’m gonna be hearing about this from Plagg tonight…’  
“Wh-what did you… just… say?”  
“What? You didn’t hear me? And here I thought I could wake all of Paris” he tried to joke  
“N-no, i… I heard you, I just… wanted to make sure I heard you right…”  
Chat dropped his arms from the wall as his stance suddenly became less threatening, he looked directly into her sad, confused bluebell eyes, and wanted nothing more then to just kiss those tears away. “Oh, to hell with it” he stated as he leaned in and kissed her. Her eyes grew wide at the unexpected gesture, then her a eyes started to gently close as she began to reply to the kiss. His arms found their way around her waist, pulling her closer, and hers found their way around his neck, holding her up from her weak knees that threatened to cave at any moment from pure joy. Finally he pulled away to give them some air. She was still in shock, you could see it on her face, he leaned his forehead to hers and whispered “Marinette Deupin-Cheng… I’m in love with you”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAND.... THIS is the scene that started it all... Chat's angry confession... the rest of the story was written around this one idea.  
> Hope you guys like it
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where's Adrien?

Her face was flushed as all she could do was stare at him. He had his eyes lightly closed, forehead still on hers, waiting for her response   
“Ch-Chat… I…” he squeezed his eyes tightly, expecting the worst “I… I need time to think… I have school tomorrow… I should probably be going to bed…”  
“Yeah, okay… sure… goodnight Princess.” Then she watched as he leapt out into the city below.

The next day Adrien didn’t show up to school, Marinette began to fear the worst ‘wait… Chat wouldn’t really get rid of him… would he?’ Suddenly panic filled her heart, so she excused herself to the ladies room, and (after checking every stall for privacy) called him.

“Hello?”  
“Adrien? Oh thank goodness”  
“Mari? What’s wrong?”  
“You didn’t show up to class, I… Chat… kinda threatened to hurt you last night… so when you didn’t show up… I know he’s a hero and all, but… he was really furious, honestly he kinda scared me a little… he..”  
“Mari… listen… everything Chat said about me… is true”  
“Wh-what? Adrien, what are you talking about?”  
“Chat wasn’t lying… the boy you know from class… that’s the real mask… I’ve been hiding behind it for nearly all my life… I’m sorry for lying to you all this time… as for today… a lot happened last night, and, I guess I just needed some time to think and clear my head… process what exactly happened last night… don’t worry though… as much as I sometimes wish he could… Chat could never get rid of me… alright?”  
“What do you mean… as much as you wish he could?”  
“Like I said Mari… Chat wasn’t lying,… I really do hate myself… i…”  
“STOP IT!”  
“M-Mari?”  
“Just stop it, okay? Don’t hate yourself, NEVER hate yourself… if there’s something about yourself you don’t like, work to change it… do NOT hate yourself… don’t wish that stuff on yourself… do you hear me? I don’t care if Chat was telling the truth or not, NO ONE should EVER hate themselves, got it? Listen, you are you, whether it be behind a mask, or not is up to you… it’s your life Adrien… don’t waste it trying to please people if it’s not sincere. Be yourself… if others judge you, then that’s their problem, got it?”  
...  
“Mari… thank you”  
“No problem Adrien… well, I gotta be getting back to class now… will I see you tomorrow?”  
“Yeah… don’t worry… I’ll be there tomorrow… I promise”  
“Good… goodbye Adrien”  
“See ya”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 6
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where's Chat?... WHAT IS TAKING HIM SO LONG?!

It’s been nearly a month since she’d last seen Chat Noir, and while she realized that he was just probably trying to give her some space and time to think, she was starting to miss him… Adrien had kept his word and returned to school the day after their phone call, and he had also taken her advice… starting to be more of who he wanted to be and less of what people just expect… he was more open, he fought for what is right, he started telling stupid puns about just about everything… ‘he kinda reminds me of Chat… woah, what? Where did that come from? I… *sigh* I miss him… so much… UGH! Why hasn't he at least stopped by to say Hi... a whole month?... What? Am I gonna have to wait for HIM to contact ME?... I’ve tried calling him, but he doesn’t answer,… maybe if I try as Ladybug… it’s worth a shot, right? I just… want to see him… it’s been almost a month,… did he change his mind? Does he not love me anymore?… Did he even mean it? Was he actually, talking to me... or Ladybug? What if he wasn't thinking about me when he said it? What if it was just a stupid mistake? what if… what if he…’  
“Marinette, are you okay?” Adrien asked, a concerned look on his face  
“What?”  
“You’re crying” Marinette touched her cheek and sure enough, she felt her own tears  
“Oh… I’m sorry” she said as she tried to wipe them away   
“Mari, what’s wrong?”  
“Its nothing… it’s just… i… I have… had… this cat, but… I haven’t seen him in nearly a month… he was like my best friend… I told him everything… he was a great listener… i… I miss him… Adrien, I miss my kitty so much”  
“Hey now, calm down… it’ll be alright” he stated calmly as he held her while gently stroking her hair “tell you what… how about after school, you and I can see if we can find him… do you have a picture of him?” She gave a light giggle against his chest  
“No… that wouldn’t help… if he doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be… all I can do is hope that one day… he returns and… still feels the same way he said he did” Adrien’s eyes grew wide and he pulled her away to look into her eyes  
“You’re not actually talking about an animal… are you?” She blushed, as she cast her eyes to the floor “i… I see”  
“He’s my best friend… i… I miss him… I realize that he’s been staying away to give me time to think things through, but… a month? Why would he wait so long? Doesn't he realize that's far too long?... Doesn't he realize how much he's hurting me by staying away so long? Doesn't he realize how much I miss him?... I want to see him again… i… I miss him… so much” her legs caved and she fell back into his arms, just as she started crying again. Adrien just held her, letting her cry until her tears stopped and her muffled sobs became soft breaths on his chest.  
“Shh.. it’ll be okay… I promise… tell you what… how about we go get some ice cream or something? cheer you up a bit?” Marinette slowly got back on her own two feet, wiping away the tear stains from her face, and taking a deep breath to regain herself  
“That’s very sweet of you Adrien, but… I think… I’m gonna go home… I want to be there if he comes back… maybe next time” she said with a sad smile. Adrien looked dumbfounded  
‘She just… she just turned down… a date with Adrien Agreste… but… why? Last time we spoke, she said she would give anything to spend time alone with Adrien… and here was her chance… she could have had that dream of hers come true… but… she didn’t… she said no… so… what changed? Oh crap, she’s staring at me… quick you doofus, say something…’ “Right, I understand… maybe some other time… well… see ya Mari” Adrien waved as he left for his waiting car.  
'she must really miss him… wait… WHAT?! SHE-SH-SHE MISSES HIM? SHE MISSES CHAT NOIR?! BUT…. But… but… what could that mean? She couldn’t possibly have fallen for Chat… … could she? She turned down Adrien… she misses Chat Noir… No… that’s too good to be true… there’s no way she could have fallen for Chat… right? I mean…’  
Suddenly the car stopped with a jerk, pulling Adrien from his thoughts to the scene in front of him. Adrien jumped out of the car just in time to miss getting hit by an orange beam, which turned the car into a horse and wagon, and the gorilla into a cave man. Adrien ran to the closest alleyway he could find. “PLAGG! CLAWS OUT!”

Marinette was at home, trying to keep herself busy while talking to Tikki “Marinette?” Tikki spoke softly, placing her little hand on her holders shoulder   
“I know, I know… I probably just blew my chances with Adrien… but… honestly… I don’t care anymore… I just want to see him… give him an answer… well, as soon as I come up with one…”  
“What do you mean?”  
“It’s just… Chat said he loves me, but… everyone knows he loves Ladybug… but I’m Ladybug… but he doesn’t know that… so to anyone else it would look like he’s a player… but then… it’s just… ugh, I’m so confused... why is he taking so long?...” she finished as she dropped her head to her desk  
“Oh Marinette, you know, you can always…” just then Tikki was interrupted by the sound of screeching tires and civilian screams. They ran to the window and were shocked to see what looked like a historical convention was roaming the streets of Paris, people everywhere were dressed in such ways as Cave folks, pilgrims, Victorian folks, and even some from the 50’s. Cars were turned into either horse-drawn buggies or wagons, cell phones were replaced with soup cans, or turn-dial phones, and they watched as a break dancer with his mp3, got hit by some orange beam and turn into an opera singer with a record player.  
'Seriously? We can’t even go one month without a stinkin akuma attack? Fine…’ “TIKKI! SPOTS ON!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 7
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Akuma attack and a Cave Chat Noir? Oookay then...

“WE WON’T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH THIS AUNT TIQUE!” Ladybug shouted as she and Chat dodged another beam coming from her akumatized feather pen. Aunt Tique was dressed in a Victorian dress with a large white-haired wig on her head, and white makeup covered her face, aside from the bright red lipstick.  
“All this… this… technology… all this… new… I Don’t Like IT… AUNT TIQUE SAYS…”  
“ENOUGH ALREADY!"Chat interrupted  
"Oh?… well perhaps you’d like to go back in time… AUNT TIQUE SAYS… RETURN TO THE PREHISTORIC ERA!”  
“NO!” Ladybug shouted as she ran to push him out of the way… but she was too late, for at that very moment he was hit with her orange beam. He screamed as the beam enclosed him, and then exploded, leaving behind a more cave-man like Chat. He stood tall, leather gone, and now replaced with a pure black loincloth. His hair had somehow become even more longer and messier than before (if that was even possible), his mask now looked like a black cloth tied around his face, and his miraculous… was hanging by a twine string around his neck. “Ch-Chat?” He turned to look at her, and nodded, a stern look on his face. They stared a moment at each other, as if telepathically communicating with each other “right… you know what to do” Chat gave another nod, then turned around and, on all fours, began running at Aunt Tique  
“AH AH ISS!” He shouted as he jumped over the elder woman, touching the woman’s big wig, causing it to turn to dust that fell to the ground, at her feet  
“AAAHHHHHHH!!! YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!!!” She shouted as her wig suddenly fell to ashes at her feet  
“LUCKY CHARM!” Ladybug shouted “a… an old vase? What am I supposed to do with this?” Suddenly cave-Chat was at her side, he looked at the vase, and then to her  
“Row, row” he said  
“Row?” Chat rolled his eyes, then he moved his arm to show her a throwing motion   
“Row”  
“Oh… I get it… HEY AUNT TIQUE! CATCH! CHAT! GO LONG!”  
“AHH! A COLONIAL VASE OF THE FOURTH DYNASTY!! NOOO!” Aunt Tique shouted as she used both hands to try to catch the flying antique, dropping her feather pen in the process, just as Chat ran behind her and with a great jump, caught the vase in mid air. Thinking quickly Ladybug used her yo-yo to snatch up the pen, breaking it and capturing and deevilizing the little black akuma,   
"AY UG!" Lady bug looked up just as Chat threw the vase through the air. She jumed and caught the lucky charm, then threw it into the air herself, returning everything back to its former glory… including our black leathered cat.   
“CHAT!” Ladybug cried as she jumped in to hug him  
“L-Ladybug?” He questioned, then he returned the hug, and pulled away. “Pound it?” He asked, holding out a waiting fist  
“Pound it” she replied as her fist met his. Suddenly her look of confidence became that of one nervous “Listen… I was wondering… did… would you like to go out?… with me?…”  
“What?” ‘Am I hearing her right?’  
“I… there’s this drive-in movie playing at the park tonight, and… I was wondering… if you…”  
“I’m Sorry my Lady, but… I can’t…”  
“Wait, what?” Now she was the one surprised   
“The truth is… I’m sorry, but… I can’t go out with you… not when… my heart belongs to someone else… I know, crazy right? But the truth is… I’d been trying to hide it for months, but… about a month ago, I let it slip,… I told my Princess that I loved her… ever since that night, i… I can’t stop thinking about her. I love her my Lady, i was actually on my way to see her when the Akuma appeared, and… and… my Lady, are you… smiling?” a small smile began to form on her lips  
“Do you… really mean that? Do you really… love her?” Chat chuckled  
“More than words can describe”  
“Then you should go to her… I’m sure she misses you too”  
“Thank you Ladybug” and with that, he set off to find a spot to revert to feed his Kawami and then transform back to head to the local bakers roof balcony.  
Ladybug, however, was just getting home and reverted the moment she set foot into her room, awaiting a certain leather cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 8
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette takes Charge

Adrien had been hiding behind a random chimney as he reverted back from Chat Noir to give his poor kawami a break “boy, I’ll tell you what… I never thought I’d have to be stuck back in that loincloth, ever again… stupid akuma” complained the cat-like creature   
“What do you mean?” Adrien asked, handing him a piece of Camembert cheese "And what was with that anyway? When gorilla got hit, he acted like... well, like a human gorilla, but me... I juts felt more... protective, stern... like, I didn't feel dumb at all"  
"Chat Noir and Ladybug have been around since the beginning of time, as well as all the other miraculous'. Of course, back then they weren't fighting each other, they used their gifts to help others, by fighting wild beasts, and enemy camps, prehistorical era is no exception... the Chat you were today, was nearly exactly like my first boy... actually, it's almost scary how similar you two are... anyway, that Chat... the miraculous gives each holder certain gifts... so in prehistorical times, Chat Noir was considered the smartest man in their village... and that he was. The only thing was, he was the son... of a pig farmer"  
"A pig farmer?"  
"Yep... the lowest of the low... no one expected anything from him. And yet... HE was the one who found us first... he found our stones, and made them into charms to give to his friends... he didn't know we were in there, he just saw pretty stones and left it at that. He had fallen in love with the cheifs daughter, and presented the red stone to her as a gift for her birthday... the first Ladybug... and while he gave the others away, he kept my black one for himself... boy you should have seen the look on his face when I came out of the stone... priceless... I can still remember it like it were yesterday... and from there, the Miraculous Seven were born." After about five minutes, Plagg confirmed that he was finished and prepared for transformation, which Adrien agreed to immediately. Once Chat Noir again, he set out to visit the girl of his dreams. Even if she were to decide not to accept his feelings, he had already made up his mind to try and protect her, no matter what. He was her friend, first and foremost   
‘Well, at least, I hope we’re still friends… what am I thinking? Of course we’re still friends… Mari said she missed Chat… so… of course we’re friends’ the argument in his head kept going until the local baker shop came into sight. He took a deep breath in, and braced himself for her ultimate reaction… 'this is going to be difficult’ he thought with a slight frown.  
He landed on the balcony, and stood in place for a moment, looking to see if she was around “Princess?” He asked, taking slow steps in to try and see her  
“Chat” it was soft, said lower than a whisper, but he had caught it, he turned on his heals and started walking towards the dark corner where the voice had come from  
“Mari?” Suddenly he was whipped around and being pushed backwards towards the wall as he felt the softest pair of lips suddenly appear on his, and the strongest pair of arms wrapped around his neck. His eyes were wide for a moment, but as soon as he realized just who was KISSING HIM, he let them flutter closed, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss. It was a good three to five minutes until they finally broke the kiss, both were completely out of breath, Marinette leaned against his sturdy chest into a hug, finding it hard to stand on her own, his arms grew tighter around her tiny waist   
“Don’t you ever, and I mean EVER, make me wait that long to see you again” she stated as she hit his chest lightly with the side of her right fist.  
“Mari… im… I’m sorry. And don’t worry, I’ll always be here for you… i…”  
“I love you” she interrupted.  
His eyes were like saucers “wh-what… did… you… say?”  
“I said…” she paused as she leaned back to look into his eyes “that I love you” a small smile on her lips. He pouted. “What?” She asked with concern 'did he change his mind? Am I going to fast for him? What if…’  
“Aw man… I wanted to say it first” he teased, interrupting her thoughts. She blinked, and noticed that Chat smirk growing on his face  
“You idiot” she joked as she gave him a light shove “you already did… or don’t you remember cornering me up against the wall and forcing your lips on mine last month?”  
“But it worked, didn’t it?”  
“Well… yes… but only because…”  
“Because?”  
“Well… I kinda had a crush on you… but… I was in love with Adrien, so I never let myself feel that way towards anyone else, but then… you kissed me… and… I realized… i… I felt, different… it was like, you completed me, I don’t know.” He stared at her “you know… Adrien… he, uh,… he asked me out earlier, but… I couldn’t get you out of my mind, it was like,… every time I saw Adrien… I saw you… the way he stands, the way he talks and jokes, the way he protects his values… and… i… he made me miss you… so much… you have NO idea how hard it was… how much it hurt… how much I missed you… the truth is, Chat… i… gave you my first kiss and… it had only just clicked in how much I missed it when you kissed me last month… and I..”  
“Woah, wait a minute… what?”  
“What?”  
“You just said that you realized that you missed my kiss last month… but Mari… that was my first kiss” Chat looked confused as Marinette started playing with a strand of hair nervously  
“Actually… it wasn’t”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“Well,… remember Dark Cupid?” Chat scratched the back of his neck  
“Not really…”  
“That’s right… you wouldn’t, would you… you got hit with an arrow… you were going berserk, I had to do something… and everyone knows, the best way to break a curse…”  
“A kiss”  
“.. i had to do something… you were going to hurt Ladybug… to hurt me… I didn’t know what else to do… you had your cataclysm active, and me pinned to the ground… you also left an opening, so… I reached up and pulled your lips to mine. It worked, you snapped out of it, and we continued to fight Dark Cupid like nothing had happened. I thought… that that kiss worked just because it was a kiss, but after thinking about it, I’ve come to realize, not just any kiss can… it had to be True Loves Kiss… you’re a really good kisser” she finished, starting to blush and averting her eyes. They stood in silence  
“Wait what?”  
“When you kissed me last month… I felt things… a warmth, a chill, a high, all at the same time… I didn’t pay much attention back then, but… now, I realize… I had all those feelings for that brief moment during Dark Cupid… I was just trying to hide them, but then… you kissed me… and broke down nearly every wall I’d put up to block you out of my heart.” Chat stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face   
'wait… SHE KISSED ME BEFORE?! WHY DON’T I REMEMBER THAT? It would have been so much easier then to fight myself every day to win her over as Chat..’  
“Chat? Hello? Earth to Chat! Hello?”  
“Huh, wha…”  
“There you are… don’t space out on me like that” she stated as she pouted. She watched as a slight smirk started to form on his lips  
“I beg your pardon Princess” he began as he started walking towards her “i tried to, but, I cannot, for the life of me, remember that kiss… and I do so want to remember such a life changing event… is there a chance that you could, possibly,… help me to remember?” Chat leaned his forehead onto hers, eyes closed as he finished. Suddenly he felt two small soft hands on his cheeks, then her head moving upwards, and finally, her soft lips meeting his. “That was the best, second first kiss I’ve ever had” he stated, catching his breath, causing her to giggle. Suddenly they heard Chat’s ring begin to blink. He frowned “I guess Plagg is getting tired…”  
“Then you should go…” Chat looked up at her with surprise “your alter-ego must remain a secret… maybe some day, but… not tonight”  
“Alright” he said sounding sad, while trying to stay positive “I’ll see you tomorrow my Princess”  
“Until then my sweet knight” they shared one last kiss before Chat’s ring beeped again. Then he leapt off the balcony and headed home for the night, a huge smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 9
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who did Adrien kiss?

The next day Adrien seemed to be in an extra happy mood as he sat through each class. His mood was so good, that no matter who at school talked to him, they couldn't help but to leave the conversation with a smile... even Chloe had seemed to be catching whatever happiness high the boy was on. He was smiling from ear to ear, daydreaming, and every now and then, trying to sneak a glance at his Princess, hoping she wouldn't notice... (Of course she did)

“well, you seem happy” Marinette chimed as they walked through the park after school was over  
“Oh... And you’re not?” He asked with one eyebrow raised. Marinette blushed  
“Of course I am… I got to see him again... my kitty came home last night, but… I already told you that last night before bed… I still have the texts if you need to read them” she teased “but seriously… what’s got you so chipper this morning?”  
“The girl of my dreams… she kissed me last, and then… told me she loves me… I can’t stop thinking about it… I can’t wait to see her again tonight”  
“Well, do you have to wait? She obviously makes you happy, why not surprise her?”  
“Its… not that simple… see… she doesn’t really know it’s me…”  
“Wait… what? Did you meet her online or something?”  
“No, it’s just..”  
“Wait, you said she kissed you,… how could she do that if she doesn’t know you?”  
“You see… I was kinda… in costume…”  
…  
“WHAT?!”  
“She’s never seen this side of me… well, I mean… she has, it’s just… she doesn’t recognize me…”  
“Oh… I see… well… do you have to be in costume?”  
“Yes” he stated mater-of-factually  
“Oookay… do I know her?”  
“… maybe” he replied with a smirk  
“It’s not Chloe is it?”  
“What?! No! Of course not…” Adrien replied with a disgusted look on his face, which made Marinette giggle  
“Sabrina?”  
“Nope”  
“Alya?”  
“Close”  
“Rose?”  
“No”  
“Jeuleka?”  
“No” ‘she’s never gonna get it’  
"Ms. Bustier?"  
"Seriously?"  
"Nathalie?"  
"Now you're just grasping for straws"  
“Whelp, I give up… who is it?”  
…  
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He finished with a wink and a smirk “Anyway… I gotta get going… see ya soon Mari”  
“HEY, NOT FAIR… I WILL FIND OUT YOU GOOSE!!” she shouted as as he ran away  
“I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!” he shouted back as ran backwards and rounded a corner, then he turned around right and headed for the local flower stand. After paying the lady, he ran the the second closest empty alleyway. "PLAGG! CLAWS OUT!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 10
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rooftop Rondevue

Marinette was on her way home, when suddenly she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and before she knew it, she was raising above the ground, higher and higher, until they landed on a high flat roof. She spun around to see who had so suddenly interrupted her peacefully pleasent walk, and was happy to see that it was, indeed, her kitty. “Sorry Princess” he began, rubbing the back of his neck “I was on my way home, and just couldn’t get you out of my mind, and I figured… I didn’t want to wait to see you” then he pulled out a bouquet of white lilies and violets  
“Chat… they’re beautiful” she stated as she took the flowers  
“But they still can’t compare to you”  
She blushed “thank you… I love them” she leaned in to kiss his cheek. He looked surprised, then he gently took her face in his leather covered hands, and pulled her into a soft kiss. After they broke, they embraced each other in a hug.  
“I’ve been wanting to do that since the first moment I saw you…” he said softly.  
“And when was that? Five minutes ago?” She teased   
“More like since 8:30” her eyes were wide as she pulled away to look at his face  
“You go to my school?” Chat looked like he’d seen a ghost   
“Wh-what?”  
“8:30… the only way you could have seen me was in class…”  
“Oh.. yeah… … … I guess the cats out of the bag, huh?”  
“N-not entirely… I mean… okay, you go to my school, and maybe we even have a class or two together…”  
‘Try every class’  
“But… there are tons of boys that go to my school… and…you could be any one of them… so, as long as you don’t try anything out of costume… I think we should be okay.”  
"What if I didn't want to wait to see you in costume? What if all I wanted to do was claim you as my own, for the whole world to know? What if... what if I wanted you to know, to love, both sides of me?" Marinette blushed  
"Chat... you... you know why that can't happen... it's too dangerous... if Hawkmoth were to somehow find out... ... I’m… i-im not ready to… to kn-know your true form… not yet” 'that’s a lie… I want to know who you are SSOOOO much, but… that would mean… I’d have to show you that I’m Ladybug… THAT is what I’m not ready for…’  
'But… I don’t know if I can control myself when you’re around…’ “yeah, okay, I… *sigh* I understand love… but know this… seeing you in my other form, and not being able to be with you like this… it’s gonna be torture…”  
'Oh believe me… I know’ “I’ll make it up to you, I promise” she leaned in and kissed his cheek. “Now... can you put me back on the ground now? I need to be heading home”   
... Chat smirked  
“Hold on tight” he scooped her up Princess style, and took off for the local bakery. Marinette let out a small squeal from the surprise and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck… he chuckled at her reaction, causing her to pout  
“D-don’t D-do that!”  
“Are you scared?”  
“N-no… I’m not scared, it just… surprised me…”  
“Whatever you say, my love”  
…  
“I’m not scared” she mumbled, causing another chuckle to escape him as they leapt over the mid day city.  
Finally, they landed on the small patio above the bakery. Chat placed her feet on the floor, then gently cupped her face with his hands and gave her a light, soft kiss. However, they were interrupted by the sound of a certain ring loosing a paw mark “Darn… I guess that's my cue… Farewell, my Princess… until we meet again”  
“So long Kitty… be safe” then she watched as he leapt over rooftops, unto he was out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's Chapter 11
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Should he tell her the truth?

Torture… of there was one word Adrien had to use at this very moment… it would be torture… complete, absolute, total torture… she was standing a ways off, talking with Nathaniel about their latest art asignment… she was smiling, giggling, blushing from joy… and he wasn’t involved in it… why wasn’t he involved again? ‘Oh, right… because she doesn’t know I’m her Chat… she doesn’t know how much I just want to hold her for hours, and not let go… she doesn’t know how much I just want to kiss her… she doesn’t know how much I just want to steal her away from everyone else RIGHT NOW… she doesn’t know… nor can she… why not?… because, she asked me to NOT reveal myself…HOW am I supposed to do this? Act like she’s not my most important person… the love of my life… no, I don’t regret having fallen for her... or having her fall for Chat, but now… I want her in both forms… I want to tell the world that she is mine, and I am hers… why can’t…“  
"drien… Adrien! Dude! Earth to Adrien!”  
“Huh? Wha…”  
“Dude, you’re staring again… if you like her, just go and talk to her dude… I’m pretty sure she’s not taken, if ya know what I mean” Nino offered with a nudge to his friend and a smirk  
“Sorry Nino, it’s just… I can’t… she-she likes someone else…”  
“Dude, what are you talking about?" Nino asked seriously "Mari’s been in love with you since, like, the first day you met… honestly I'm surprised you hadn't figured that out by now... and even if she does like someone else… go over there and show her that you’re better.” Nino stated as he nudged his best friend towards said girl, however, at that moment he lost his footing on the steps  
“WOAH!”…. *oomph*

Adrien opened his eyes and found that he had knocked down, and was now straggling… “M-MARINETTE!” They stayed that way for a while, time seeming to pause, all he could do was stare at her wide eyes, then he found himself staring at her lips, wanting nothing more than to just bend down and capture them with his  
“Um… h-hey Adrien. Um… can I get up now?”  
…  
“S-SORRY!” He hurried to get off of her, 'of course I can’t kiss her… she doesn’t want to know who I am…’ “I’m really sorry about that…” he stated as he offered her a hand to help her up  
“Its-its okay… nothings broken here, are you okay?” she offered as she took his hand  
“Me? Yeah, yeah… I’m feline fine” his eyes grew wide as he realized the slip up “uh-I-uh… I mean…”  
“Adrien?” She asked looking him in the eye with concern… she was so compassionate, and sweet, timid and so completely blind… can’t she see how much he loves her? Can’t she tell he’s her kitty? Can’t she see how she’s slowly killing him every time she smiles and he hadn’t formed it or had any part in it? Doesn’t she know just how badly he wants to just kiss her? Right now…  
“Oh, to hell with it” Adrien quickly cupped her face and pulled her into a kiss “I love you Marinette”  
Her eyes were wide “… adrien…” she whispered in shock  
“Mari…” he gently stroke her cheek… she slapped his hand away and stumbled backwards away from him  
“Adrien… ADRIEN… WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ADRIEN?!”  
“Mari… i…”  
“You kissed me… YOU KISSED ME!!! WHY IN THE WORLD DID YOU KISS ME, ADRIEN?!”  
“Mari, calm down… you’re making a scene..” he stated a little louder, looking around at all of their classmates who... Were All Staring At Them.  
“I’M MAKING A SCENE?! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO-WHO-WHO… YOU KISSED ME AGRESTE! WHY?! WHY DID YOU KISS ME?!”  
“BECAUSE I CAN’T CONTROL MYSELF AROUND YOU, ALRIGHT?!” He responded, finally losing his cool and giving her all his attention, even if he could hear nearly the entire class gasp at his outburst.  
“What?!” she looked like she'd seen a ghost, so he decided to just ignore the fact that they were not alone... it's time he told her the truth  
“Marinette, I’m in love with you, and I’ll be damned if you think I’m just gonna… you’re like… it’s like… Sheesh, you're so addicting… I can’t get enough of you Mari… I want us to be able to be together… listen, I tried to control myself, to respect your wishes, but… seeing you, seeing your smile at some other guy… you bring out the animal in me… it's like... like I want to claim you, and tell the whole world that you're mine... you-you told me that you loved me… my heart, it belongs to you Marinette… not Ladybug, you. Love, please…”  
“No… n-No… you know that I love Ch- s-someone else… I told you that… I n-never told YOU that I… I loved you, Adrien”  
“Yes, you did” he began, taking a step towards her “nearly every night… it drove me crazy how you would talk about Adrien…”   
"Why are you talking in third person?"she almost whispered as he took another step closer   
“then you got to know the real me… you helped the REAL me to come out of my shell…” another step closer “you kissed me… told me you loved me… the REAL me…” another step “you told me you’d love me, no matter…” he closed the gap between them “no matter who was behind the mask” he whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened as it finally clicked... she had only ever said that to one person...   
“Chat?” she whispered  
“Princess?”  
“Y-you’re… Adrien?… you’re Chat”  
“The one and only” he said in a low tone, so only she could hear, with a smirk  
“adrien…”  
“Princess” he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear  
“Adrien”  
“Mari” he was leaning in to close the gap between them  
“Adrien?… ADRien?… ADRIEN?”

“ADRIEN? Come on! Wake Up! Adrien!”  
“Huh?… wha?…”  
“Oh, thank goodness… are you okay?” Adrien opened his eyes to find Marinette leaning over him, her hair falling around them both like a curtain from the rest of the world  
“M-Marinette?”  
“You tripped on the stairs and hit your head on the floor… you’ve been out for a couple minutes… Nathaniel and Rose ran to grab the nurse, she's on her way… no no, stay down… are you okay?”  
“Mari?” He asked as he reached up and tried to touch her face  
“Adrien? What are you doing?” he paused as realization hit him... hard  
'Was that really all just a dream?’ “Your face had fallen for your eyes… i-i mean, your love had something on your eyes… i-i mean…you had something on your face… I’m fine” 'smooth Romeo’  
“Are you sure you’re okay? You don’t sound it…”  
“N-no, no I’m fine, but uh…could you please get off of me?” 'NO! Please don’t... don't listen... stay... you're only inches away... it wouldn't take much to...’   
she blinked and then her eyes grew wide as she realized that she had been nearly straddling him this whole time “SORRY!"she jumped up and backwards. Adrien's heart dropped that she hadn't heard his inner voice after all. Just then, Nathaniel and Rose came through the door with the nurse, then they escorted the young model back to her office for a brief checkup. Once the other two had left Adrien asked  
"Hey Nurse?... Got anything for a broken heart?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know... I'm such a tease... but I just HAD to do a dream scene, but now the question remains... what is he going to do now?
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug... KISSED HIM?! O.0

Chat and Ladybug were sitting in their special hideout on top of the Eifle Tower, looking out over the city of lights. There hadn’t been any attacks lately, so after patrol, the two decided on meeting at the tower just to talk… however, Chat was lost in thought, and Ladybug was having a hard time just trying to keep still. She was just about to say something when he sighed, never taking his eyes off of the city before him “hey Ladybug, can I ask you something?”  
“Huh? S-sure”  
“Have you ever been in love?” He asked, looking out over his hometown, completely missing the humongous blush starting to cover her entire face  
“Wh-What?! Wh-Where did th_THAT come from?!”  
“You see… I’m in love. She’s… the most amazing girl I’ve ever met, she’s smart, kind, witty, honest, strong, a born leader, even if she can’t see it herself,... she’s a great baker,... she makes the cutest face when she pouts,... her laughter, so contagious, and her eyes… if they were a pool, I’d gladly drown in them. I love her Ladybug, and, I want to be with her… forever. She’s… she’s everything to me. But… she doesn’t want to know who I really am under the mask, and while I understand her concern, and yes, I even feel the same way… i-i want to tell her… she’s loved me as Chat Noir, late night meet ups, plucking her from the ground out of nowhere… but… my civilian form… how am I supposed to stand being around her and NOT being able to show her I love her? Does she really think I won’t get jealous when she talks to other guys? Do you realize how HARD that really is? Heck, it’s near impossible… we have, literally, EVERY class together, we….”  
“Ch-Chat!… too personal” Ladybug interrupted timidly  
...  
Chat sighed  
“I want to be with her… in both forms. I want her to know me, to love me… both forms… I want to be able to claim her as my own, and to show the whole world that she’s no longer available… she’s taken… off the market… she's mine... I want to show her my alter ego… you know what I mean?”  
“A-actually Chat… I know exactly what you mean… i… I also fell in love, but… he doesn’t know I’m Ladybug… and… I’m scared… he says that he loves Ma-A-um-me, but… but... but what if he doesn’t like that I’m Ladybug? What if he thinks that I lied to him? What if…”  
“Hey, hey now…” he interrupted as he finally looked away from the city to see his Lady with tears in her eyes, 'I need to be there for her' he rushed to her side to hold her and try to comfort her... at that moment... she broke. As she fell into his arms, loud tears came rolling down, showing just how much she feared losing her love... her situation seems a lot worst than his at the moment  
“But-but… what if… he won’t… forgive... me?” She asked in between sobs as she buried her face into his chest  
‘Hey now… shhh… it’ll be okay, don’t worry. Remember… it doesn’t matter, who you are, with, or without the mask… you are still you. Do you understand? If they can’t see that… then there’s something wrong with them... not you. Okay?"  
Her legs were still shaking from her emotional trial, threatening to cave at any moment, so slowly, Chat lowered them both to sit in the floor. They spent the rest of the night sitting together, side by side, Chat trying first to comfort the super heorine by encouraging her, and then to distract her by telling her about a certain cat video he had found online. Eventually though, they both fell asleep in the cool Paris air.

*beep* *beep* *beep* *beep*  
Ladybug woke up to the sound of her miraculous telling her that she had five minutes until the transformation wore off. She carefully got up and stretched her muscles before turning to look at her sleeping kitty. She walked over, and knelt down in front of him. 'He looks so peaceful… I don’t want to wake him, but… I have to get home… if mom and dad find out I’m gone… mm, I don't want to leave him alone up here... *sigh* I guess I have no choice’ “Chat?… Chat?… kitty, time to wake up… it’s time to go home now…” he started to stir  
“hmm?…. nno… not going…” he mumbled  
'Oh great, NOW he wants to be stubborn?’ “Chat, come on… we’ve gotta go…”  
“NoOo” he whined, squeezing his eyes shut “it’s warmer here, I’m not going” then he made himself more comfortable and fell back asleep.  
Truth be told, there was still a chill in the night air, but Ladybug knew that’s not what he meant… they may not have told each other much about their civilian forms, but she had been able to determine that... he didn't exactly have the beast home life... she could see that he wasn’t going to budge, so instead, she walked over to a backpack she’d brought and took out two blankets. He may not want to go home tonight, but she was going to see that at the least, he wouldn’t get sick from the cold. She spread the one blanket over him (which he quickly snuggled into), then she folded the second one, and gently lifted his head to place the homemade pillow between him and the metal floor of the great tower. She brushed a strand of fallen hair out of his face. Seeing his peaceful sleeping form, she couldn’t help but fall in love all over again… she wanted to kiss him… She gently stroke his his cheek with the back of her leather gloved hand, she came inches from his lips… she hesitated for a moment...  
she gently placed her lips on his, his response was almost like a dream… even though the boy was still asleep, he was kissing her back. She tried to pull away, but the only thing that happened was him sitting up with her, and, the kiss, growing stronger. Her arms wrapped around his neck, as his found their way around her torso, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. Finally they had to break for air. She leaned her forehead on his, a huge smile on her face and whispered “I love you” as his eyes began to flutter  
“you know, I could get use to waking up like this Ma…” his eyes shot open as his whole body turned white... that wasn't Marinette, that was... “L-LADYBUG?!” He scrambled to get back, away from the super heroine “What? What happened? Oh my- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I just thought... wait a minute... YOU, kissed me? Why? Why did YOU kiss me? You’re not supposed to kiss me… oh my gosh, I kissed you BACK! I’m so sorry, i-i thought you were someone else… oh my gosh, Mari’s going to kill me… i-i didn’t mean to kiss you, you know… I thought…”  
“Kitty, calm down, it’s okay” she said, a slight giggle escaping her lips  
“Okay? HOW CAN THIS POSSIBLY BE OKAY? YOU-Y-YOU KISSED ME! AND I- I-I KISSED YOU BACK… I, I betrayed her… I BETRAYED MARI!”  
“What? No you didn't, that’s not true” she said rushed, her smile was starting to fade as she realized just how freaked out he really was, she slowly was making her way over to him, so as not to alarm him  
“HOW COULD SHE EVER FORGIVE ME? I LOVE HER LADYBUG, BUT HOW COULD SHE BELIEVE ME AFTER… THIS?!"  
'he's actually upset... he thinks he kissed someone else... other than Marinette... but... that's me'  
"AND NO, I’M NOT GOING TO LIE TO HER, I WOULD NEVER LIE TO HER! BUT I DON’T WANT TO LOSE HER!"  
'I have to tell him, otherwise he's gonna end up giving himself a panic attack'  
"OH MY GOSH, I'M GONNA LOSE HER! WHAT HAVE I DONE?! I CAN'T LOSE HER LADYBUG! I JUST CANT!"  
'I have to tell him'  
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO? WHA-!”  
He was cut off by a soft hand, gently being placed on his cheek, his eyes wide as plates as his voice suddenly was gone. “Kitty…” she had a soft smile as she looked into his shock filled eyes “you didn’t betray her… actually, you’ve just made all her dreams come true. You've just shown her that... that she can trust you, that, the idea of being with someone else other than her, even Ladybug, who you claimed was your first love, fills you with regret and fear that she will leave you... you've just confirmed to her that... you truly care about her, even more than yourself... you've told her you love her, but tonight... you showed her. You showed her that, no matter what, you will be faithful, honest, and true... the fact that you were going to be honest... that you were actually going to tell her, even if it meant, knowing that she could well possibly leave you... that you had kissed another girl on accident... even though you didn't realize that it actually, WAS the same girl... that truly touched her heart, and... made her fall in love with you all over again... you see, she will never leave your side... because, she loves you, so very much,… I love you, very much” just then the transformation ran out and where once Ladybug had been standing, there now stood…  
“Marinette?”

Chat had shifted in his sleep, pulling his face down more towards his chest, dragging Ladybug from her thoughts. Her breath hitched when she realized just how close she had come to actually kissing him. Reluctantly, she pulled away, staring at the boy of her dreams (even daydreams). He shifted once more and exhaled “Mari”. It touched her heart  
'I know it was just a dream, but... I honestly think... that might actually be how it would happen, but... as tempting as it may be... I don't want him to have a heart attack before I tell him... and knowing him... he probably would.. he's so honest... faithful... and true... I trust him... completely... I have to tell him... I don’t know how he’ll react, but… I love him… I want him to know… he needs to know… so… we can truly be together’  
*beep* *beep* * beep* *beep*  
'Two spots? I lost track of time... *sigh* I guess I should be going then’ she leaned down, brushed his bangs from his face, and softly kissed his forehead “I love you, my kitty knight” she whispered in his ear, taking note of the grin forming on his face. Then she used her yo-yo and made her way back home, just in time for the clock to strike 3am.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, this one took me a little longer... actually... a complete do-over... I was wanting to go another way with it, but I decided to save that for possibly the end (sorry, no spoilers ;) lol)  
> And I know I just did a dream sequence with Adrien, but I felt like we needed a little bit of Mari/Ladybug's perspective since this story has pretty much just been Adrien/Chat's... hope you all like it... and if I fooled ya... sorry... not sorry ^.^


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien talks with... TOM?  
> (Parent talk)

Not long after Adrien and Marinette had become actual friends, Adrien found himself in need of some advice… guy advice. He tried to ask his father, but he was quickly shut down as his father refused to stop working and listen. Adrien had shown up to school a distressed mess. Marinette tried to help him, but he really did need a father’s advice, then she had an idea.  
After school she happily dragged a confused Adrien across the street to her families bakery.  
“Papa! Papa!” She called they entered the local shop.  
“In the Back Mari!”  
“Wait right here” she told Adrien as she ran to the back.  
“Hi Papa… can I ask you a favor?”  
“Hmm? Sure Cupcake, what is it?”  
“You see, my friend, Adrien… he needs advice… dad advice... but his own father is too busy for him.. so I was wondering… could you talk to him?”  
Marinette and her father walked through the doorway to find Adrien still standing where the girl had left him “Adrien, this is my father”  
“Tom’s the name, so I hear you need some guy talk, is that right?” Tom asked as he shook the boys hand, Adrien nodded, slightly confused “well, as long as you wouldn’t mind helping in the back, I’m willing to talk” Adrien’s face lit up   
“Ye-yeah! Sure”  
From that moment on, whenever Adrien needed to talk or any advice, he would go to the back door of the bakery, knock, and then Tom would kick out Sabrine and/or Marinette, and then he and the boy would work in the kitchen while they spoke about whatever was on the boys mind.

THe stood nervously in the alleyway behind said bakery. 'Okay... here we go' he took a deep breath, and then knocked. Marinette answered  
“Adrien? Hi. Daddy! Adrien’s Here! Come on in.”  
“Thanks” he said to the girl as he scratched the back of his neck nervously  
“Adrien my boy! Welcome back!”  
“Thank you Mr. Dupien”  
“Alright Cupcake, you know the drill, you and your mom can take a break, while me and my adopted son here have guy time” he playfully nudged the boy, Adrien blushed at the title… to be perfectly honest, the whole family had been so open to him, he honestly did consider Tom to be like a second (better) father  
“Alright. See ya later Adrien” she said as she waved and left to find her mother to go shopping for some new fabrics  
“See ya” he nearly whispered as a slight blush crossed his face. Tom smirked knowingly  
“Now then… you ready to make some cinnamon rolls?” The two of them set to making the sweet treats. Adrien had been silent since Marinette left, Tom knew the boy came here for a reason, and he had a pretty good idea of what it may be about… finally Tom asked “Son? What’s on your mind?” Adrien’s eyes grew, he knew what he had to do, what he had come to do… he respected Tom and Sabine, and he wanted their permission before he took that next step, and he trusted Tom’s decision, and he would respect it… no matter what   
“W-well Sir… i-I think…” he began nervously, growing more confident as he went “no… I know… Sir… I’m in love with Marinette… your daughter” Tom’s smile grew. He deeply admired the boy, he was like the son he never had… honest, a good worker, kind,… and totally crushing on his little girl  
“Well it’s about time” Adrien’s jaw dropped  
“Wh-what?”  
“Adrien my boy, whether you realized it or not, you’ve seriously been showing all the signs of a crush… especially around my little Cupcake” he replied with a wink. “Remember son… this is my castle, and I am the King… nothing happens here that I am not even the slightest knowledgeable about…” he stated as he turned to put the rolls in the oven “do you understand… Chatton?” Adrien’s eyes popped as a cold sweat covered him from head to toe… he looked like he had just seen a ghost  
“W-what? Chatton? Wh-who-who’s Chatton?” He asked in a panic (though he tried to cover it up)  
“Adrien, relax… it’s perfectly fine… just calm down… here, sit down” Tom walked the poor shocked boy over to a couple piles of flower bags “listen… I know about you and Mari, no, I don’t know all the details, but me and Sabine have agreed to allow both of you kids the chance to… make your own choices… I know that you love her, and that you’ve been coming over every night for nearly a year now, even before you realized how much you cared about her… and yes, I know that she has no idea who you really are… no, I don’t intend to reveal any identities either , that’s between you and her… yes, I’m okay with the fact that you are a super hero, as long as you promise to protect my little girl… so?”  
“So, what?” Adrien asked coming out of his dumbfoundedness  
“So, didn’t you have something you wanted to ask?”  
...  
“I’m sorry… I'm just a bit lost right now… how did you know?” Tom smirked at the boy  
“Son, you love cats, you’re always bringing up Ladybug in the highest recommendations, you always speak of Chat the same way you speak about yourself,… you disappear every time Chat Noir appears, you’re both in love with my daughter, and you know, that bell of yours rings through the vents every night… not to mention you and Chat have the same hair, eyes, build and age… it’s really not that hard to put the pieces together.” Was it really just that simple? But if so, then…  
“But… how come no one else I know can see it?”  
“Ever heard of a Mother’s Intuition? Dads have a version too… Father’s Intuition” it made sense, Adrien had become super close with Tom over the last year, closer than he could ever dream of becoming with his own father “So?”  
“So?”  
“So, are you gonna ask for my daughter’s hand or not?” Adrien sprang to his feet, complete shock overtaking him  
“Wh-What?! M-Marriage?! I-I don’t think I’m… we’re not ready for that yet…we’re only sixteen years old”  
“Then what did you want to ask?” Honestly, the older man was disappointed a little (mostly that he was wrong), but mostly confused… the boy had used the back door (he only ever used it when he needed to talk with Tom), confessed to loving his daughter, and called him Sir… what else could it be?  
“Sir, actually… I just wanted to ask your permission to… ask Mari out, on a real date” Tom’s respect for the boy had just raised a bar higher… this boy was really something else… this boy was asking his permission to DATE his daughter… kids these days just, don’t do that anymore… it was very admirable.   
“Son, … of course you can ask her out. Although I am surprised that you wanted my permission to ask her out, I respect that, and offer my full support in this relationship. However, the fact still remains that she does not know that you are Chat Noir…”  
“I know, but… I plan to tell her… tonight if possible… I just wanted your permission first”   
“of course my boy” just then the timer went off and Tom went to pull the sweet treats out of the oven. Then he grabbed two glasses of milk and after icing the breakfast deserts, he and Adrien each ate a delicious, fresh from the oven Cinnamon Roll.  
Adrien’s alarm on his phone went off, signaling that it was time for him to head home. Tom packed a to-go bag with four still warm cinnamon rolls and handed it to the boy “Oh, and here’s a cheese danish. If you’re gonna be the son of a baker, your Kawami may want to learn to like sweets” Tom said with a wink. Adrien thanked him and then started walking home. He was half way home when suddenly he stopped “wait… how did he know about Plagg?!”

“So? How did it go?” Sabine asked as they got ready for bed. Tom smirked  
“Get the list” Sabine grinned as she reached under their mattress and pulled out a notebook labeled ‘Potential Suitors’ Sabine flipped through until she got to the name Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir, then she flipped ten more pages to get to the end of his list "Add faithful, respectful, admirable, and worthy to the list"  
“So it went good?”  
“He asked my permission” be beamed with pride  
“To marry her?” She asked with one eyebrow raised, suddenly his pride fell away  
“… no… to take her out” Tom nearly mumbled. Sabine looked pleased. She held out her hand and Tom gave her fifty euros  
“I told you he would want to take her out first”  
“Common, I would have thought that all those late light visits counted… I thought for sure he was going to ask to marry her…” he pouted  
“Dear, these kids are one of a kind, they want the other to love both sides of them… Mari is probably just as nervous as he is, I can only imagine how she’ll react when she finds out her old middle school crush is actually the cat saving hero…”  
“Well, you won’t have to wait too much longer… he plans to tell her tonight”  
“You do realize that once he does, she’s going to feel obligated to show her own secret identity? I hope she’s ready for it… which reminds me, Dear, Tikki requested oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with raisins for next week.”  
“Right, I’ll get right on it tomorrow morning, oh and I gave Plagg the cheese danish, i made it with Camembert, just like Tikki said… be sure to ask Tikki how he likes it, when you get the chance.”  
“No problem dear.”  
Just then they heard the sound of the magical yo-yo, a soft thud on the roof and finally the muffled voices of Marinette and Tikki coming from their bedside vent  
“Looks like she’s back.” Sabine stated as she got into bed  
“It won’t be long until he shows up”  
“Tom Dear, go ahead and shut the vent for tonight, let’s give them some some privacy”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually started writing this one before chapter 13, but it just didn't fit as chapter 13. I think it works better here.   
> As for Marinette's parents... hey, she had to get it from somewhere... right? ;)
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Reveal???

Ladybug had just returned home from her lookout patrol of Paris, so she quietly jumped in through the sky roof window above her bed, and reverted back to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, before her parents could catch her. She looked at her alarm clock, midnight, she had originally set out for patrol earlier so that she could look for her feline friend. Unfortunately, he never showed, that or they just hadn’t crossed paths. The City had been pretty quiet for a few days now, so it didn’t bother her if he missed one patrol. Seeing as how she probably wouldn’t even be tired for the next few hours, she decided to grab her drawing tablet and head back up to the rooftop balcony.  
She was so engrossed in her drawing that she hadn’t even realized that she wasn’t alone. Suddenly, everything became black as she felt two, warm leather gloved hands cover her eyes from behind “guess who?” He whispered in her ear, she smiled, then used both hands to gently pull away his own, while turning around to see her beloved  
“Chat…”  
“The one and only” he replied as their foreheads met. They stayed that way, eyes closed, just enjoying being in the others company.  
“Where have you been? I’ve missed you” Mari whispered. He took a deep, shaky breath  
“Mari, I am so sorry I didn’t make it to visit last night… the truth is, Me and Ladybug hung out together… w-we didn’t do anything, just… talked. I Fully Intended to come and visit you, but then… we fell asleep… n-Nothing Inappropriate, Just… her head laying on my shoulder, and my head laying on hers… n-No, that came out wrong, um… well we had both exhausted ourselves from feels… okay, that cane out even Worst… what I meant to say is…”  
‘Wow… is he nervous? Why would he be nervous, unless...’ “Chat? Did you WANT something to happen with her?”  
“NO!… of Course Not.”  
“Then why are you so nervous?… nothing happened last night, so what’s the problem of you didn’t WANT anything to happen?”  
“I should have called, left… something… I’m Not just some player like everyone thinks… my heart can only belong to one, and one alone… you Marinette. I love you, and… I want us to be together, forever… I uh… I spoke with your father and uh…”  
“Wait, what?! Y-YOU SPOKE WITH MY DAD?! WHEN? HOW?… WHY?!”  
“Marinette, calm down, I was in civilian form… he never saw me as Chat…”  
“WHAT?! MY PARENTS-THEY KNOW WHO YOU ARE?!” She was in complete shock  
“Yes… I wanted to ask your father for permission to…”  
“Okay, WAIT, this is going way Too FAST… Y-YOU DON'T EVEN... Even... you don't… even really know me…” Chat looked confused  
“Mari, we’ve been together for nearly a year… and we were friends long before that... about three years actually… we’ve shared our deepest secrets, our hopes, and our dreams... things we hate, our greatest fears, and what irks us the most… what do you mean I don’t know you, when just the last time we met, you told me, and I quote, you know me better than anyone?” She looked torn… he didn’t like it “Mari?”  
She looked to her side, she couldn't stand seeing his confused face “There’s... *sigh* there's something about me that you should know… first off, I love you, more than anyone else on earth, and I don’t want anything to come between us… seeing you, and not being able to… to…”  
'What is she talking about?’  
“I… I want to be able to be with you… in both forms…”  
'Is she asking me to reveal myself?!’  
"I don't want a... a m-mask to come between us... not when all I want to do is... is..."  
'She's asking me to reveal myself...'  
"I want you to love me... for me... Chat, I want you to see... to see... GHA!!! Why can’t I just SAY it?!... I just… you mean the world to me... i-I... ” She took a deep breath to collect herself, Chat had a slight smile… he wouldn’t push it… he would wait for her to ask him, this was obviously important to the girl, as she kept stumbling over her wording. “Maybe… this will help…” she said just above a whisper, him only catching it because of his magic cat hearing, and then, with the same soft, gentle and calm voice, she whispered… “Tikki. Spots on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes... Ladybug confesses first, but... how will Chat react?
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug tells her Kitty how she expects him to feel about her.  
> Chat tells his Princess how he REALLY feels about her.

Of all the things Chat was expecting… this one takes the cake. When she started talking about being behind the mask, he had only assumed that she was talking about HIM, seeing as he WAS Chat Noir, one of the greatest heroes of Paris. He had been waiting for her to finally ask him to take the mask off,… but she was beating around the bush, he knew, this was a big step in their development after all… then they could FINALLY be together, like every other couple they’d seen. He loved her, and WANTED to be with his sweet little Marinette, in every form of that phrase.   
He was NOT expecting her to whisper a small demand like that, or a small little red blob coming out from inside her purse, or that same said creature disappearing into her earrings, or the complete transformation to his Super hero partner from… “M-Marinette?!”  
“H-hey, Kitty” she waved meekly. he was SO not expecting that… his jaw was to the floor, his eyes were buldged, and he mindlessly ran his hand through his hair.  
“Marinette…” he breathed trying to regain control over the situation “so… you’re… you’re… my Lady?” Her eyes dropped as she rubbed her right arm with her left hand, trying to rub away her nerves  
“Are y-you… disappointed?” Chat blinked, her words hitting him like a ton of bricks  
“WHAT?” Chat rushed over to the oddly meek Ladybug, no, Marinette  
“Why would you think I’d be disappointed?” He asked as he wrapped her into an embracing hug  
“Because,” she started, her whole frame enclosed in his “i-i’m just me… plain, ordinary, clutsy, dumb, weak, nervous wreck Marinette… I’m… probably not who you expected…” he pulled away to look her in the eye “Mari… you’re wrong... you are SO wrong… you’re not plain and ordinary… you’re amazing and extraordinary. You’re not clutsy… you’re one of the most balanced people I know. You're not weak... you are so strong, in every meaning of the word. And you are, by no means, dumb… Marinette, you are one of the smartest, most talented, most amazing girl in the world. You balance your school life with you designing, and helping out in the bakery, and on top of that, you save Paris on nearly a weekly basis. You’re so strong, both physically and mentally, you put others’ needs before your own, even when they don’t deserve it, *clear throat* Cloe *clear throat*” she giggled. He wiped a tear from her cheek “I’m the one whose dumb… this whole time, it’s been you… and like an idiot, I couldn’t see it… if I’d have realized… do you know how much I went through just trying to figure this out? You were my best friend, but I had refused to see you as anything else, because… I was in love with Ladybug… I still am, to be honest, but… then I got to know the real you, and when you told me you loved my alter-ego, i… I was scared. I was in love with Ladybug, but… hearing you talk about me, like I was something sent from Heaven… it made me question… a lot. Honestly… crazy as it sounds… I started getting jealous of myself… Chat wanted you attention, wanted your love… and I felt horrible at the thought that I wanted it, when I refused to reciprocate. Then, that last time… you were talking me up so much, i… I couldn’t take it anymore… and I kissed you. I never would have expected you to be waiting for me here a few weeks later, I’d half expected you to bolt out of the country, but instead… you were waiting for me, you pinned me to the wall and… I couldn’t pull away… nor did I want to… I felt like I was cheating on Ladybug, but… she had never felt that way about me, and… I didn’t want to stop. I still don’t. I fell for you Marinette… hard. I love you… for you. Whether you’re in a red jumpsuit, or your everyday wear… you’re still the same girl, the girl I’d like to spend the rest of my life with…” he let go of her and took a few steps back, he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck nervously “Well… I guess since you showed me your true self, I guess I can show you mine”  
“You don’t have to if you don't want to” she protested  
“You don’t want me to?”  
“No, of course I do… i… always have, but… I knew that if you showed me your true form, then… I would have to show you that I’m Ladybug, and… I was scared”  
“First off, THIS, what you see right now, Chat Noir IS my true form… this is who I want to be, my alter-ego however, I would give anything to let loose like this as a civilian. Second, you don’t have to be scared Mari, I would NEVER judge you. And third… I had originally planned to reveal myself to you tonight anyway… I have something to ask you, and… it kinda requires not being behind a mask…” her eyes were wide… what exactly was he planning on asking her? “Plagg, revert me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 16... not really much more to write about it....
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a reveal and a question

Ladybug was dumbfounded as she watched, wide eyed, as the love of her life, transformed into… the boy of her dreams… her middle school crush… “A-Adrien?!”  
“Surprise” he stated nervously as he rubbed the back of his head  
“Adrien… you’re… y-you’re… Chat?”  
“... Are you... mad it’s me?” This snapped the Parisian hero back to reality  
“Wh-what? Why Would I Be Mad?”  
“Same reason you said I guess… ” Ladybug blinked… then it hit her  
“No Chat!… I could NEVER be disappointed with you!… I’m just… surprised… i-i never expected, m-my middle school cru-, wait a minute, i… I Told You… oh my gosh… I TOLD YOU THAT I LIKED ADRIEN!!!”  
“Ehehe, yeah… about that…”  
“You… Y-YOU KNEW THAT I LOVED ADRIEN, BUT… YOU KEPT GETTING UPSET WHEN I SPOKE ABOUT HIM.. AND… PUTTING HIM DOWN… I MEAN, YOU… WHY? HOW DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE?”  
“It doesn’t, but if you’ll just…”  
“BUT WHY DID…”  
“MARI!” He placed both hands on her shoulders “Just… calm down, alright? You’re never going to hear the answers if you don’t stop asking questions…” all she could do was stare at him “*sigh* you see, the truth is… at first, I only wanted to be your friend. You never seemed to be able to talk to me as Adrien, so when I noticed that you act differently with Chat… I jumped at the chance to get to know you. The more I got to know you, the closer we became… I was only curious you know… when asked you why you weren’t always this open… I was NOT expecting you to confess that you liked Adrien. But then after that, you wouldn’t stop bragging about him… about me… to me, except… the me you were bragging to (Chat Noir), after a while, started getting jealous of the me you were bragging about (Adrien)… you see, once I became Chat, I was finally able to escape being Adrien, the perfect, preppy good boy afraid of dissapointing his father, and become to be my true self... who I wanted to be, and… I just couldn’t see why you could love Adrien, when in reality, HE was the real mask… I wanted you to talk about Chat the way you talked about Adrien. I wanted you to love the real me, and, not the mask everyone else sees, at the same time though, I was denying, trying to hide any feelings I was developing for you. I loved Ladybug, and I felt like I’d be cheating on her if I confessed how I really felt to you… but then, before I knew it, we were up here, on your balcony, and I just couldn’t take it anymore… so I kissed you.”  
…  
“*sigh* I knew at that moment that I had fallen for you… as both Chat, AND Adrien… i… I thought you must hate me after that, and that thought… it kept me away. I couldn’t stand seeing hate in your beautiful eyes, so… I stayed home. But then, you went and called me, you made me come back. You saved me Mari. You helped me open up and be more of my real self, you helped me to like myself again, but then… YOU seemed upset… it broke my heart to see you so sad, but when you said it was because you missed your, kitty, honestly I was so confused, I was driving myself crazy… one thing I knew for sure… I had to see my Princess. Ehehe, still though” he scratched the back of his head “I wasn’t expecting you to, not only be waiting for me, but… to attack me like that… gosh Mari, you have no idea how much I missed you.” Ladybug raised her leather clad hand up and gently stroke his cheek, tears of joy in her eyes. He lifted one of his one hands to softly wipe away her falling tears. She lifted her other hand to his other cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. Suddenly a bright light shone through both their closed eyes. When he opened his eyes, he saw the girl he loved the most.   
“Kitty…”  
“Princess…”  
…  
“I… I have something to ask you…” her breath caught as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out… an envelope “Mari…would you like to go out with me? On a real date?” He handed her the envelope, she pulled out two tickets to the movies. She started to laugh. “What’s so funny?” He asked with a smirk  
“It’s just… you - you said you spoke with my father…”  
“I respect your father, AND your mother… I wanted their permission to ask you out”  
“You silly Kitty…” she giggled “normally when you ask to speak to a girls father… *giggle* I thought you were going to purpose, or something like that… ”  
‘You know, your dad thought the same thing’ he decided to have a little fun “and what if I did?” He asked with a smirk. Her laughter cut off as shock shown on her face  
“What?“She pulled her hands away as she backed up  
"Well, i just thought you’d prefer to go on an actual date first, but… What if I did ask you to marry me?” His hands had fallen to his side, and suddenly he felt something square in his pocket. His eyes widened and he pulled out the little box. He quickly turned around, his back to the girl and opened the box to find… ‘where did this come from? I’ve never seen this before, so… how did it get into my pocket? Hmm… I wonder…’ “Mari,” he began as he turned around and slowly walked towards her, little box clutched in his hand “I know we may have only known each other for a few years, but… we’ve spent nearly every day of those few years getting to know each other, and personally, with each passing day, I would fall more and more in love with you… all of you. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I love you, I treasure you, I respect you and your opinion, I promise to always be there for you, to never leave you, to be faithful to you all of our lives… Marinette Dupain-Cheng” he knelt down on one knee and pulled out the small ring box “will you marry me?” She gasped, both hands covering her mouth.   
“Is-is that… M-my mothers engagement ring?” His eyes widened  
'Wait? So… did… did Tom slip this into my pocket this morning?’ “Y-y-yes…?”  
“I… I love it… I love you… yes… yes, I’ll marry you”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Chat reveals himself, and pops the BIG question... yay!
> 
> Let me know how you guys like it  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	18. BONUS CHAPTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BONUS CHAPTER!!!
> 
> So how did Adrien get that ring again?  
> What's the REAL reason Plagg is excited about this engagement?   
> Why does Plagg REALLY love the stinky cheese?

The two kawamis flew through the open sky view window and into Marinette’s bedroom to give their two charges some privacy. Then the two flew downstairs, through the hall, and stopped to knock on the bedroom door.  
*knock* *knock knock knock knock* *knock knock*  
A moment later Tom opened the door and let the two ancient creatures in.  
“Tikki, Plagg, how wonderful to see you again” Sabine welcomed them  
“So, since you’re both here, does that mean that they BOTH confessed?” Tom asked  
“Yes Mr. Dupain, they both told each other both who they are and how they feel for one another” Tikki responded   
“Oh, and, she said yes” Plagg added  
“Well of course she said yes, my little Cupcake has been dying to go out with him for ions now” Tom added knowingly   
“Noo… I meant the other question” the black kawami threw back with a wink  
“You mean…” Sabine questioned enthusiastically   
“Yep. They’re getting married… about time in my opinion… that whole, love square thing, was starting to mess with my head”  
“Wait… WHAT?!” Tom asked in shock “he said he was only going to ask her out… ???”  
“Yes, that’s right, that is all he WAS going to do, but when he found Ms. Cheng’s engagement ring in his pocket, he asked both.” Tikki chimed  
“Your engagement ring?”  
“What?” Sabine asked innocently “did you really think you were the only one who wants them together?”  
“But still,… how did your ring get in Adrien’s pocket Ms. Cheng?” Tikki asked curiously  
“Tikki, do you remember this morning, when you and Marinette went ahead without me to go shopping? Well, I was making Camembert cheese danishes and I couldn’t walk away from them”  
“Adrien had taken off his over shirt to put on the apron, so when I smelled nice, warm Camembert, I just HAD to check it out… it was getting boring in there anyway” Plagg interrupted   
“Anyway, I ended up spotting Plagg and offered him a danish and we started talking… eventually the topic turned to Mari and Adrien”  
“We both agreed they should be together”  
“So we… came up with a plan. I gave him my engagement ring and asked him to put it in the boys pocket when he wasn’t looking”  
“And boy, that was harder than I thought…”  
“So wait…” Tom interrupted “you’re telling me that the kids are engaged now?” Plagg nodded “YES! I WIN!”  
“Oh no you don’t” teased his wife  
“But…”  
“You bet that he would ask, right off hand. I bet that he would ask her out first… which he did” she replied with a smirk while she crossed her arms over her chest triumphantly  
“Hmph… you and your fine print…” Tom mumbled. Everyone laughed.

 

The two kawamis had just made their way back to Marinette’s still empty bedroom  
“So Tikki, it looks like we’ll finally be living together again. What’s it been, ten… twenty…”  
“Try seventeen generations Plagg. The last time we both lived under the same roof was with Fiona and Fergus, the Scottish twins”  
“Yeah, but, you know that’s not what I meant… even with the twins, we still couldn’t actually see each other because we couldn’t let them know they were each other's partners, plus… they both got married off… I’m talking about when we actually got to LIVE together”  
“Oh… hmm… maybe… Saida and Tut? Let’s see.. that was Egypt, right?”  
“I think you’re right Tikks”  
“Wow, that was like… twenty… one generations ago?”  
“Thirty-eight, but… who’s counting” Plagg added meekly  
“… you’ve been keeping track?” Tikki asked in surprise   
“Do you know why I like Camembert Tikki?” Tikki shook her head, confused by the random question “it was the last thing you and I shared before Tut passed, and Sadia was buried beside him… now, every time I eat Camembert, it reminds me of you, and… our last day together…” Plagg ended sadly, then he scratched the back of his neck “to be perfectly honest, I don’t really like the cheese that much anymore… too much of a good thing I’m guessing… but… I still eat it, not because IT gives me strength, but because… YOU give me strength. When I eat Camembert, I think of you, and, I can go on…” Tikki’s hands flew to cover her mouth as light tears started to form in her eyes  
“Oh, Plagg”  
“Tikki… *deep breath* I love you. I always have, and I’ve always wanted to tell you, it’s just… this is the first time in thirty-eight generations I’ve actually been able to see you” he reached over to wipe away a stray tear from her eye. Her hands slowly dropped, revealing the beautiful smile he had come to love. She threw her arms around him and embraced him in a warm hug as tears of joy came flowing out  
“Oh Plagg… I love you too”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAYAY!!!!!!!
> 
> Okay, so I wanted to clear up just exactly HOW Adrien had that ring appear in his pocket, and from there, it just kinda kept rolling on.   
> Also, Kawami confessions... yay!
> 
> I want to thank all of you who commented, gave kudos, and so on, you have NO idea how much encouragement that actually gave me. I'm SSOOOOO glad you guys liked it. I sure had fun writing it, but... all good things must come to an end. Besides, I already have an idea for my next MLB fanfic... ;)  
> Keep an eye out for MLB: The Firsts
> 
> Let me know how you guys like this last chapter  
> (I thrive on comments)  
> ♡


	19. SIDE NOTE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Side Note
> 
> What's Next?

Hi! :)  
So I tried writing The Firsts, an AU about the very first Miraculous users (aka, cavemen), but it didn't turn out so well.... lets see, the first chapter has been up for about... 1-2 weeks, and so far, no kudos, no comments, no nothing... plus, I've drawn a blank, so... I'm giving up on that one right now... however I still want to write so...

I'm writing a sequel to Love The Real Me, called... Marry The Real Me. <3  
Posting the first chapter now so... check it out, and let me know what you think ;)  
you know me... Love and Strive on comments ^_^  
ENJOY!!!


End file.
